Display device

ABSTRACT

A display device includes a display panel, and a touch sensing unit on the display panel, the touch sensing unit including a first conductive pattern on the display panel, an insulating layer covering the first conductive pattern, and a second conductive pattern on the insulating layer, partially crossing the first conductive pattern, and having a thickness that is greater than a thickness of the first conductive pattern.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/660,827, filed Jul. 26, 2017, which claims priority to and thebenefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2016-0097493, filed Jul. 29,2016, the entire content of both of which is incorporated herein byreference.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

The present disclosure relates to a display device capable of preventinga crack in an insulating layer included in a touch sensing unit.

2. Description of the Related Art

In an information society, the importance of a display device is furtherhighlighted as a visual information transmission medium. As the displaydevice, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display panel (PDP), anorganic light emitting display (OLED), a field effect display (FED), andan electrophoretic display (EPD) are widely used.

The display device operates by receiving an electrical signal from anexternal source, and may include a touch screen to sense a touch eventoccurring on a display panel displaying an image.

The display device includes various electrode patterns activated by theelectrical signal. Areas in which the electrode patterns are activateddisplay information or respond to the touch event.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides a display device capable of preventingoccurrence of a crack in an insulating layer included in a touch sensingunit.

The present disclosure also provides a display device capable ofpreventing the touch sensing unit from shorting.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a display device includinga display panel, and a touch sensing unit on the display panel, thetouch sensing unit including a first conductive pattern on the displaypanel, an insulating layer covering the first conductive pattern, and asecond conductive pattern on the insulating layer, partially crossingthe first conductive pattern, and having a thickness that is greaterthan a thickness of the first conductive pattern.

The first conductive pattern and the insulating layer may be directly ona thin film encapsulation layer of the display panel, and the insulatinglayer may include a first part on the first conductive pattern, andspaced from the thin film encapsulation layer, a second part contactingwith the thin film encapsulation layer, and a third part connecting thefirst part and the second part.

The thickness of the first conductive pattern may be less than athickness of the insulating layer.

The thickness of the first conductive pattern may be equal to or greaterthan about 1800 angstroms, and equal to or less than about 2100angstroms, and the thickness of the second conductive pattern may beequal to or greater than about 2700 angstroms, and equal to or less thanabout 3500 angstroms.

The first conductive pattern may include a first conductive layer on thedisplay panel, a second conductive layer on the first conductive layer,and a third conductive layer on the second conductive layer, the secondconductive layer having an electrical resistivity that is less than anelectrical resistivity of the first and third conductive layers, andhaving a thickness that is greater than a thickness of the firstconductive layer and a thickness of the third conductive layer.

The thickness of the third conductive layer may be greater than thethickness of the first conductive layer.

The thickness of the third conductive layer may be within a range fromabout one and a half times to about three times the thickness of thefirst conductive layer.

The thickness of the first conductive layer may be in a range from about50 angstroms to about 200 angstroms, the thickness of the secondconductive layer may be in a range from about 1000 angstroms to about1800 angstroms, and the thickness of the third conductive layer may bein a range from about 250 angstroms to about 350 angstroms.

Each of the first conductive layer and the third conductive layer mayinclude titanium (Ti), and the second conductive layer may includealuminum (Al).

The second conductive pattern may include a fourth conductive layer onthe insulating layer, a fifth conductive layer on the fourth conductivelayer, and a sixth conductive layer on the fifth conductive layer, thefifth conductive layer having an electrical resistivity that is lessthan an electrical resistivity of the fourth and sixth conductivelayers, and having a thickness that is greater than a thickness of thefourth conductive layer and a thickness of the sixth conductive layer.

The thickness of the second conductive layer may be less than thethickness of the fifth conductive layer.

The thickness of the first conductive layer may be less than thethickness of the fourth conductive layer.

The thickness of the fourth conductive layer may be in a range fromabout 250 angstroms to about 350 angstroms, the thickness of the fifthconductive layer may be in a range from about 2200 angstroms to about2800 angstroms, and the thickness of the sixth conductive layer may bein a range from about 250 angstroms to about 350 angstroms.

Each of the fourth conductive layer and the sixth conductive layer mayinclude titanium (Ti), and the fifth conductive layer may includealuminum (Al).

The second conductive pattern may include first connection parts, firsttouch sensor parts connected to each other by the first connectionparts, and second touch sensor parts spaced from the first touch sensorparts.

The first conductive pattern may include second connection partsconnecting the second touch sensor parts, and crossing the firstconnection parts.

The first conductive pattern may include second connection partsconnecting the second touch sensor parts, each of the first touch sensorparts and the second touch sensor parts may include a plurality of meshlines defining a plurality of mesh holes, and the second connectionparts may cross the mesh lines of the first touch sensor parts and themesh lines of the second touch sensor parts.

The second connection parts might not cross the first connection parts.

The first conductive pattern may include second connection partsconnecting the second touch sensor parts, the insulating layer may beprovided with a contact hole defined therethrough, and the secondconnection parts may connect the second touch sensor parts through thecontact hole.

The display panel may include a base layer, a circuit layer on the baselayer, an organic light emitting device layer on the circuit layer, anda thin film encapsulation layer on the organic light emitting devicelayer.

According to the above, the occurrence of cracking of the insulatinglayer included in the touch sensing unit may be reduced, andconsequently, the short defect of the touch sensing unit may be avoided.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects of the present disclosure will becomereadily apparent by reference to the following detailed description whenconsidered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing a display device in a firstoperation state according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 1B is a perspective view showing a display device in a secondoperation state according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 1C is a perspective view showing a display device in a thirdoperation state according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a display device according toan embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are perspective views showing a display device accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 4A and 4B are perspective views showing a display device accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5A is a plan view showing a display panel included in a displaydevice according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view showing a display module included in adisplay device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6A is an equivalent circuit diagram of a pixel included in adisplay device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view showing a portion of a display panelincluded in a display device according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 6C is a cross-sectional view showing a portion of a display panelincluded in a display device according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIGS. 7A to 7C are cross-sectional views showing thin film encapsulationlayers included in a display device according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 8A is a cross-sectional view showing a touch sensing unit includedin a display device according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIGS. 8B to 8E are plan views showing a touch sensing unit included in adisplay device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8F is a partially enlarged view showing an area A1 of FIG. 8B;

FIG. 9 is a partially enlarged view showing an area A2 of FIG. 8B;

FIGS. 10A and 10B are cross-sectional views taken along the line I-I′ ofFIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a touch sensing unit includedin a conventional display device;

FIGS. 12A to 12D are plan views showing a touch sensing unit included ina display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 13A to 13C are partially enlarged views showing an area A3 of FIG.12A;

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II′ of FIG.13C;

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view showing a portion of a touch sensingunit included in a display device according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure; and

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing a touch sensing unit includedin a display device according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Features of the inventive concept and methods of accomplishing the samemay be understood more readily by reference to the following detaileddescription of embodiments and the accompanying drawings. Hereinafter,example embodiments will be described in more detail with reference tothe accompanying drawings, in which like reference numbers refer to likeelements throughout. The present invention, however, may be embodied invarious different forms, and should not be construed as being limited toonly the illustrated embodiments herein. Rather, these embodiments areprovided as examples so that this disclosure will be thorough andcomplete, and will fully convey the aspects and features of the presentinvention to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, processes, elements,and techniques that are not necessary to those having ordinary skill inthe art for a complete understanding of the aspects and features of thepresent invention may not be described. Unless otherwise noted, likereference numerals denote like elements throughout the attached drawingsand the written description, and thus, descriptions thereof will not berepeated. In the drawings, the relative sizes of elements, layers, andregions may be exaggerated for clarity.

It will be understood that, although the terms “first,” “second,”“third,” etc., may be used herein to describe various elements,components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components,regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms.These terms are used to distinguish one element, component, region,layer or section from another element, component, region, layer orsection. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or sectiondescribed below could be termed a second element, component, region,layer or section, without departing from the spirit and scope of thepresent invention.

Spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “under,”“above,” “upper,” and the like, may be used herein for ease ofexplanation to describe one element or feature's relationship to anotherelement(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will beunderstood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompassdifferent orientations of the device in use or in operation, in additionto the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the devicein the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or“beneath” or “under” other elements or features would then be oriented“above” the other elements or features. Thus, the example terms “below”and “under” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. Thedevice may be otherwise oriented (e.g., rotated 90 degrees or at otherorientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein shouldbe interpreted accordingly.

It will be understood that when an element, layer, region, or componentis referred to as being “on,” “connected to,” or “coupled to” anotherelement, layer, region, or component, it can be directly on, connectedto, or coupled to the other element, layer, region, or component, or oneor more intervening elements, layers, regions, or components may bepresent. In addition, it will also be understood that when an element orlayer is referred to as being “between” two elements or layers, it canbe the only element or layer between the two elements or layers, or oneor more intervening elements or layers may also be present.

In the following examples, the x-axis, the y-axis and the z-axis are notlimited to three axes of a rectangular coordinate system, and may beinterpreted in a broader sense. For example, the x-axis, the y-axis, andthe z-axis may be perpendicular to one another, or may representdifferent directions that are not perpendicular to one another.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the presentinvention. As used herein, the singular forms “a” and “an” are intendedto include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearlyindicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms“comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” and “including,” when used inthis specification, specify the presence of the stated features,integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do notpreclude the presence or addition of one or more other features,integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groupsthereof. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and allcombinations of one or more of the associated listed items. Expressionssuch as “at least one of,” when preceding a list of elements, modify theentire list of elements and do not modify the individual elements of thelist.

As used herein, the term “substantially,” “about,” and similar terms areused as terms of approximation and not as terms of degree, and areintended to account for the inherent deviations in measured orcalculated values that would be recognized by those of ordinary skill inthe art. Further, the use of “may” when describing embodiments of thepresent invention refers to “one or more embodiments of the presentinvention.” As used herein, the terms “use,” “using,” and “used” may beconsidered synonymous with the terms “utilize,” “utilizing,” and“utilized,” respectively. Also, the term “exemplary” is intended torefer to an example or illustration.

When a certain embodiment may be implemented differently, a specificprocess order may be performed differently from the described order. Forexample, two consecutively described processes may be performedsubstantially at the same time or performed in an order opposite to thedescribed order.

The electronic or electric devices and/or any other relevant devices orcomponents according to embodiments of the present invention describedherein may be implemented utilizing any suitable hardware, firmware(e.g. an application-specific integrated circuit), software, or acombination of software, firmware, and hardware. For example, thevarious components of these devices may be formed on one integratedcircuit (IC) chip or on separate IC chips. Further, the variouscomponents of these devices may be implemented on a flexible printedcircuit film, a tape carrier package (TCP), a printed circuit board(PCB), or formed on one substrate. Further, the various components ofthese devices may be a process or thread, running on one or moreprocessors, in one or more computing devices, executing computer programinstructions and interacting with other system components for performingthe various functionalities described herein. The computer programinstructions are stored in a memory which may be implemented in acomputing device using a standard memory device, such as, for example, arandom access memory (RAM). The computer program instructions may alsobe stored in other non-transitory computer readable media such as, forexample, a CD-ROM, flash drive, or the like. Also, a person of skill inthe art should recognize that the functionality of various computingdevices may be combined or integrated into a single computing device, orthe functionality of a particular computing device may be distributedacross one or more other computing devices without departing from thespirit and scope of the embodiments of the present invention.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientificterms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs. Itwill be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonlyused dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that isconsistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and/orthe present specification, and should not be interpreted in an idealizedor overly formal sense, unless expressly so defined herein.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail withreference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing a display device DD in a firstoperation state according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.FIG. 1B is a perspective view showing the display device DD in a secondoperation state according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.FIG. 1C is a perspective view showing the display device DD in a thirdoperation state according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 1A, a display surface IS, in which an image IM isdisplayed in a first operation state of the display device DD, issubstantially parallel to a surface or plane defined by a firstdirection axis DR1 and a second direction axis DR2. A direction that isnormal to the display surface IS (i.e., a thickness direction of thedisplay device DD), indicates a third direction DR3. A front surface (oran “upper surface”) is distinguished from a rear surface (or a “lowersurface”) by the third direction axis DR3. However, the first to thirddirection axes DR1 to DR3 are relative terms to each other, and thus thefirst to third direction axes DR1 to DR3 may be changed to any otherdirections. Hereinafter, first to third directions correspond todirections respectively indicated by the first to third direction axesDR1 to DR3, and thus the first to third directions are assigned with thesame reference numerals as those of the first to third direction axesDR1 to DR3.

FIGS. 1A to 1C show a foldable display device as a representativeexample of the flexible display device DD, but it should not be limitedthere to or thereby. For example, the flexible display device DD may bea rollable display device, a bendable display device, or a flat rigiddisplay device, for example. The flexible display device DD according tothe present embodiment may be applied to a large-sized electronic item,such as a television set, a monitor, etc., and may be applied to a smalland medium-sized electronic item, such as a mobile phone, a tablet, acar navigation unit, a game unit, a smart watch, etc.

Referring to FIG. 1A, the display surface IS of the flexible displaydevice DD may include a plurality of areas. The flexible display deviceDD includes a display area DD-DA in which the image IM is displayed, anda non-display area DD-NDA located next to the display area DD-DA. Theimage IM is not displayed in the non-display area DD-NDA. FIG. 1A showsan image of a vase as the image IM. As an example, the display areaDD-DA has a substantially quadrangular shape, and the non-display areaDD-NDA surrounds the display area DD-DA, but they should not be limitedthereto or thereby. That is, the shape of the display area DD-DA and theshape of the non-display area DD-NDA may be designed relative to eachother.

Referring to FIGS. 1A to 1C, the display device DD is divided into aplurality of areas in accordance with the operation state thereof. Thedisplay device DD includes a bending area BA that may be bent withrespect to a bending axis BX, a first non-bending area NBA1 that is notbent, and a second non-bending area NBA2 that is not bent. As shown inFIG. 1B, the display device DD may be inwardly bent such that thedisplay surface IS of the first non-bending area NBA1 faces the displaysurface IS of the second non-bending area NBA2. As shown in FIG. 1C, thedisplay device DD may be outwardly bent to allow the display surface ISto be exposed.

FIGS. 1A to 1C show only one bending area BA, but the number of thebending area BA is not limited to one. For instance, in the presentembodiment, the display device DD may include a plurality of bendingareas BA. In some embodiments, the display device DD may be configuredto repeatedly perform only the operation modes shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B,although the present invention is not limited thereto or thereby. Thatis, the bending area BA may be defined to correspond to the user'soperation performed on the display device DD. For instance, differentfrom FIGS. 1B and 1C, the bending area BA may be defined to besubstantially parallel to the first direction axis DR1 or may be definedin a diagonal direction. The bending area BA may have an area determineddepending on a radius of curvature while not being fixed.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a display device DD accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 shows thecross-section defined by the second and third directions DR2 and DR3.

Referring to FIG. 2, the display device DD includes a protective filmPM, a display module DM, an optical member LM, a window WM, a firstadhesive member AM1, a second adhesive member AM2, and a third adhesivemember AM3. The display module DM is located between the protective filmPM and the optical member LM. The optical member LM is located betweenthe display module DM and the window WM. The first adhesive member AM1couples the display module DM and the protective film PM. The secondadhesive member AM2 couples the display module DM and the optical memberLM. The third adhesive member AM3 couples the optical member LM and thewindow WM. If suitable, at least one of the first, second, and thirdadhesive members AM1, AM2, and AM3 may be omitted.

The protective film PM protects the display module DM. The protectivefilm PM includes a first outer surface OS-L exposed to the outside andan adhesive surface adhered to the first adhesive member AM1. Theprotective film PM prevents external moisture from entering the displaymodule DM and absorbs external impacts.

The protective film PM may include a plastic film as a base substrate.The plastic film may include one or more of polyethersulfone (PES),polyacrylate, polyetherimide (PEI), polyethylenenaphthalate (PEN),polyethyleneterephthalate (PET), polyphenylene sulfide (PPS),polyarylate, polyimide (PI), polycarbonate (PC), poly(aryleneethersulfone), and a mixture thereof.

The material of the protective film PM may include a mixed material ofan organic material and an inorganic material without being limited toplastic resins. The protective film PM may include a porous organiclayer and an inorganic material filled in pores of the organic layer.The protective film PM may further include a functional layer formed inthe plastic film. The functional layer may include a resin layer, andmay be formed by a coating method. In other embodiments, the protectivefilm PM may be omitted.

The window WM protects the display module DM from the external impactsand provides an input surface to the user. The window WM provides asecond outer surface OS-U exposed to the outside, and an adhesivesurface adhered to the third adhesive member AM3. The display surface ISshown in FIGS. 1A to 1C may be the second outer surface OS-U.

The window WM may include a plastic film. The window WM may have amulti-layer structure, which may be of a glass substrate, a plasticfilm, or a plastic substrate. The window WM may further include a bezelpattern. The multi-layer structure of the window WM may be formedthrough consecutive processes or an adhesive process using an adhesive.

The optical member LM reduces a reflectance of an external light. Theoptical member LM may include at least a polarizing film, and mayfurther include a retardation film. In other embodiments, the opticalmember LM may be omitted.

The display module DM includes a display panel DP and a touch sensingunit TS. The touch sensing unit TS is directly located on the displaypanel DP. In the following descriptions, the expression “a firstcomponent is directly located on a second component” means that thefirst and second components are formed through consecutive processeswithout being attached to each other by using a separate adhesive layer.According to other embodiments, other layers (e.g., an adhesive layer, asubstrate, etc.) may be interposed between the display panel DP and thetouch sensing unit TS.

Hereinafter, an organic light emitting display panel DP will bedescribed as the display panel DP, but the display panel DP should notbe limited to the organic light emitting display panel DP. The displaypanel DP may be a liquid crystal display panel, a plasma display panel,an electrophoretic display panel, a microelectromechanical system (MEMS)display panel, or an electrowetting display panel.

The organic light emitting display panel DP generates the image IM(refer to FIG. 1) corresponding to image data input thereto. The organiclight emitting display panel DP includes a first display panel surfaceBS1-L, and a second display panel surface BS1-U facing the first displaypanel surface BS1-L in the thickness direction DR3.

The touch sensing unit TS obtains coordinate information of an externalinput. The touch sensing unit TS senses the external input in anelectrostatic capacitive manner.

The display module DM according to other embodiments may further includean anti-reflection layer. The anti-reflection layer may include a stackstructure of a color filter or a conductive layer/an insulating layer/aconductive layer. The anti-reflection layer absorbs or polarizesexternal light to reduce reflectance of the external light. Theanti-reflection layer may be used to substitute the function of theoptical member LM.

Each of the first, second, and third adhesive members AM1, AM2, and AM3may be, but are not limited to, an organic adhesive layer, such as anoptically clear adhesive film (OCA), an optically clear resin (OCR), ora pressure sensitive adhesive film (PSA). The organic adhesive layer mayinclude, for example, a polyurethane-based adhesive material, apolyacryl-based adhesive material, a polyester-based adhesive material,a poly epoxy-based adhesive material, or a polyvinyl acetate-basedadhesive material.

The display device DD may further include a frame structure forsupporting the functional layers to maintain the states shown in FIGS.1A, 1B, and 1C. The frame structure may have a joint structure or ahinge structure.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are perspective views showing a display device DD-1according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3A shows thedisplay device DD-1 in an unfolded state, and FIG. 3B shows the displaydevice DD-1 in a bent state.

The display device DD-1 includes one bending area BA and one non-bendingarea NBA. The non-display area DD-NDA of the display device DD-1 isbent, however, the bending area area of the display device DD-1 may bechanged in other embodiments.

Different from the display device DD shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C, thedisplay device DD-1 may be fixed in one state while being operated. Thedisplay device DD-1 may be operated in the bent state as shown in FIG.3B. The display device DD-1 may be fixed to a frame while being bent,and the frame may be coupled to a housing of an electronic device.

The display device DD-1 according to the present embodiment may havesubstantially the same cross-sectional structure as that shown in FIG.2. However, the non-bending area NBA and the bending area BA may havedifferent stack structures from each other. The non-bending area NBA mayhave substantially the same cross-sectional structure as that shown inFIG. 2, and the bending area BA may have a cross-sectional structuredifferent from that shown in FIG. 2. For example, the optical member LMand the window WM may be omitted from the bending area BA. That is, theoptical member LM and the window WM may be located only in thenon-bending area NBA. The second and third adhesive members AM2 and AM3may be omitted from the bending area BA.

FIG. 4A is a perspective view showing a display device DD-2 according toan embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 4A, the display device DD-2 includes a non-bendingarea (or a “plan surface area”) NBA in which a main image is displayedto a front direction, and a bending area (or a “side surface area”) BAin which a sub-image is displayed to a side direction. The sub-image mayinclude an icon for providing information. In the present embodiment,the terms of “non-bending area NBA and bending area BA” used hereindefine the display device DD-2 configured to include plural areas withdifferent shapes from each other.

The bending area BA bent from the non-bending area NBA displays thesub-image to a fourth direction axis DR4 crossing the first directionaxis DR1, the second direction axis DR2, and the third direction axisDR3. However, the first to fourth direction axes DR1 to DR4 are relativeterms to each other, and thus the first to fourth direction axes DR1 toDR4 may be changed to any other directions.

FIG. 4B is a perspective view showing a display device DD-3 according toan embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 4B, the display device DD-3 includes a non-bendingarea NBA in which a main image is displayed to a front direction, andincludes first and second bending areas BA1 and BA2 in which a sub-imageis displayed to a side direction. The first bending area BA1 and thesecond bending area BA2 are respectively bent from opposite sides of thenon-bending area NBA.

FIG. 5A is a plan view showing an organic light emitting display panelDP included in a display device according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure, and FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view showing adisplay module DM included in a display device according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 5A, the organic light emitting display panel DPincludes a display area DA and a non-display area NDA when viewed in aplan view. The display area DA and the non-display area NDA of theorganic light emitting display panel DP respectively correspond to thedisplay area DD-DA and the non-display area DD-NDA of the display deviceDD (refer to FIG. 1A). The display area DA and the non-display area NDAof the organic light emitting display panel DP are not required to beidentical to the display area DD-DA and the non-display area DD-NDA ofthe display device DD of FIG. 1A, and the display area DA and thenon-display area NDA of the organic light emitting display panel DP maybe changed in accordance with the structure and design of the organiclight emitting display panel DP.

The organic light emitting display panel DP includes a plurality ofpixels PX. An area in which the pixels PX are arranged is referred to asthe display area DA. In the present embodiment, the non-display area NDAis defined along an edge of the display area DA.

The organic light emitting display panel DP includes gate lines GL, datalines DL, light emitting lines EL, a control signal line SL-D, aninitialization voltage line SL-Vint, a voltage line SL-VDD, and a padpart PD.

Each of the gate lines GL is connected to corresponding pixels of thepixels PX, and each of the data lines DL is connected to correspondingpixels of the pixels PX. Each of the light emitting lines EL is arrangedto be substantially parallel to a corresponding gate line of the gatelines GL. The control signal line SL-D applies a control signal to agate driving circuit GDC. The initialization voltage line SL-Vintapplies an initialization voltage to the pixels PX. The voltage lineSL-VDD is connected to the pixels PX to apply a first voltage to thepixels PX. The voltage lines SL-VDD includes a plurality of linesextending in the first direction DR1, and a plurality of lines extendingin the second direction DR2.

The gate driving circuit GDC is located at one side portion of thenon-display area NDA, and is connected to the gate lines GL and thelight emitting lines EL. Some of the gate lines GL, the data lines DL,the light emitting lines EL, the control signal line SL-D, theinitialization voltage line SL-Vint, and the voltage line SL-VDD arelocated on the same layer, and the others of the gate lines GL, the datalines DL, the light emitting lines EL, the control signal line SL-D, theinitialization voltage line SL-Vint, and the voltage line SL-VDD arelocated on different layers.

The pad part PD is connected to an end of the data lines DL, the controlsignal line SL-D, the initialization voltage line SL-Vint, and thevoltage line SL-VDD. As shown in FIG. 5B, the organic light emittingdisplay panel DP includes a base layer/base substrate SUB, a circuitlayer DP-CL located on the base layer SUB, an organic light emittingdevice layer DP-OLED located on the circuit layer DP-CL, and a thin filmencapsulation layer TFE located on the organic light emitting devicelayer DP-OLED.

The base layer SUB includes at least one plastic film. The base layerSUB may be a flexible substrate, and may include a plastic substrate, aglass substrate, a metal substrate, or an organic/inorganic-mixedmaterial substrate. The plastic substrate includes at least one of anacryl-based resin, a methacryl-based resin, polyisoprene-based resin, avinyl-based resin, an epoxy-based resin, a urethane-based resin, acellulose-based resin, a siloxane-based resin, a polyimide-based resin,a polyamide-based resin, and a perylene-based resin.

The circuit layer DP-CL includes a plurality of insulating layers, aplurality of conductive layers, and a semiconductor layer. Theconductive layers of the circuit layer DP-CL may form signal lines or acontrol circuit of the pixel.

The organic light emitting device layer DP-OLED may include organiclight emitting diodes.

The thin film encapsulation layer TFE encapsulates the organic lightemitting device layer DP-OLED. The thin film encapsulation layer TFEincludes an inorganic layer and an organic layer. The thin filmencapsulation layer TFE may include at least two inorganic layers and anorganic layer located between them. The inorganic layers protect theorganic light emitting device layer DP-OLED from moisture and oxygen,and the organic layer protects the organic light emitting device layerDP-OLED from foreign substance such as dust. The inorganic layer mayinclude, for example, at least one of a silicon nitride layer, a siliconoxynitride layer, and a silicon oxide layer. The organic layer mayinclude an acryl-based organic material, but it should not be limitedthereto or thereby. According to the present embodiment, the touchsensing unit TS may provide a uniform sensitivity by adjusting athickness of the organic layer.

The touch sensing unit TS is directly located on the thin filmencapsulation layer TFE, but is not limited thereto or thereby. Aninorganic layer may be located on the thin film encapsulation layer TFE,and the touch sensing unit TS may be located on the inorganic layer. Theinorganic layer may be a buffer layer. The inorganic layer may includeat least one of a silicon nitride layer, a silicon oxy-nitride layer,and a silicon oxide layer, but the inorganic layer should not be limitedthereto or thereby. In addition, the inorganic layer may be included inthe thin film encapsulation layer TFE without being provided as aseparate element.

The touch sensing unit TS includes touch sensors and touch signal lines.The sensors and the touch signal lines may have a single-layer structureor a multi-layer structure.

The touch sensors and the touch signal lines may include indium tinoxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), zinc oxide (ZnO), indium tin zincoxide (ITZO), PEDOT, a metal nano-wire, and a graphene. The touchsensors and the touch signal lines may include a metal layer such as,for example, molybdenum, silver, titanium, copper, aluminum, or an alloythereof. The touch sensors and the touch signal lines may have the samelayer structure or different layer structures. The touch sensor layer TSwill be described in detail later.

FIG. 6A is an equivalent circuit diagram of a pixel PX included in adisplay device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6A shows an i-th pixel PXi connected to a k-th data line DLk amongthe data lines DL.

The i-th pixel PXi includes an organic light emitting diode OLED and apixel driving circuit controlling the organic light emitting diode OLED.The pixel driving circuit includes seven thin film transistors T1 to T7and one storage capacitor Cst. In the present embodiment, the pixeldriving circuit includes seven transistors T1 to T7 and one storagecapacitor Cst, but in other embodiments, the j-th pixel PXi may includeonly a first transistor (or a “driving transistor”) T1, a secondtransistor (or a “switching transistor) T2, and the storage capacitorCst as the driving circuit to drive the organic light emitting diodeOLED, and the pixel driving circuit may have various configurations.

The driving transistor controls a driving current applied to the organiclight emitting diode OLED. An output electrode of the second transistorT2 is electrically connected to the organic light emitting diode OLED.The output electrode of the second transistor T2 directly makes contactwith an anode of the organic light emitting diode OLED or is connectedto the anode of the organic light emitting diode OLED via anothertransistor, e.g., a sixth transistor T6.

Control electrodes of respective control transistors receive respectivecontrol signals. The control signals applied to the i-th pixel PXiinclude an (i−1)th gate signal Si−1, an i-th gate signal Si, an (i+1)thgate signal Si+1, a data signal Dk, and an i-th light emitting controlsignal Ei. In the present embodiment, the control transistors includesthe first transistor T1 and third to seventh transistors T3 to T7.

The first transistor T1 includes an input electrode connected to thek-th data line DLk, a control electrode connected to an i-th gate lineGLi, and an output electrode connected to the output electrode of thesecond transistor T2. The first transistor T1 is turned on by the gatesignal Si (hereinafter, referred to as the “i-th gate signal”) appliedto the i-th gate line GLi to provide the data signal Dk applied to thek-th data line DLk to the storage capacitor Cst.

FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view showing a portion of a display panelincluded in a display device according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure. FIG. 6C is a cross-sectional view showing a portion of adisplay panel included in a display device according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure. In detail, FIG. 6B shows the cross-section ofthe portion corresponding to the first transistor T1 of the equivalentcircuit shown in FIG. 6A, and FIG. 6C shows the cross-section of theportion corresponding to the second transistor T2, the sixth transistorT6, and the organic light emitting diode OLED of the equivalent circuitshown in FIG. 6A.

Referring to FIGS. 6B and 6C, the first transistor T1, the secondtransistor T2, and the sixth transistor T6 are located on the base layerSUB. The first, second, and sixth transistors T1, T2, and T6 have thesame structure as each other, and thus the first transistor T1 will bedescribed in detail, and repeated detail of the second and sixthtransistors T2 and T6 will be omitted.

An upper surface of the base layer SUB is defined by the first directionDR1 and the second direction DR2. The first transistor T1 includes afirst input electrode DE1, a first output electrode SE1, a first controlelectrode GE1, and a first oxide semiconductor pattern OSP1.

A buffer layer BFL is located on the base layer SUB. The buffer layerBFL improves a coupling force between the base layer SUB and theconductive patterns or the semiconductor patterns. The buffer layer BFLincludes an inorganic layer. In other embodiments, a barrier layer maybe further located on the base layer SUB to prevent foreign substancesfrom entering. The buffer layer BFL and the barrier layer may beselectively used or omitted.

The base layer SUB may include a plastic substrate, a glass substrate,or a metal substrate. The plastic substrate includes at least one of anacryl-based resin, a methacryl-based resin, polyisoprene-based resin, avinyl-based resin, an epoxy-based resin, a urethane-based resin, acellulose-based resin, a siloxane-based resin, a polyimide-based resin,a polyamide-based resin, and a perylene-based resin.

The first oxide semiconductor pattern OSP1 is located on the bufferlayer BFL. The first oxide semiconductor pattern OSP1 includes indiumtin oxide (ITO), indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO), zinc oxide (ZnO), orindium zinc oxide (IZO).

A first insulating layer 10 is located on the buffer layer BFL to coverthe first oxide semiconductor pattern OSP1.

The first control electrode GE1 is located on the first insulating layer10, and a second insulating layer 20 is located on the first insulatinglayer 10 to cover the first control electrode GE1. The second insulatinglayer 20 provides a flat upper surface/planarized surface. The secondinsulating layer 20 includes an organic material and/or an inorganicmaterial.

The first insulating layer 10 and the second insulating layer 20 includean inorganic material, which may include at least one of aluminum oxide,titanium oxide, silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride, zirconium oxide, andhafnium oxide

Meanwhile, a first contact hole CH1 and a second contact hole CH2 aredefined through the first and second insulating layers 10 and 20 torespectively expose a first area and a second area of the first oxidesemiconductor pattern OSP1. Each of the first and second contact holesCH1 and CH2 penetrates through the first and second insulating layers 10and 20.

The first input electrode DE1 and the first output electrode SE1 arelocated on the second insulating layer 20. The first input electrode DE1and the first output electrode SE1 are respectively connected to thefirst area and the second area of the first oxide semiconductor patternOSP1 through the first contact hole CH1 and the second contact hole CH2.

A third insulating layer 30 is located on the second insulating layer 20to cover the first input electrode DE1 and the first output electrodeSE1. The third insulating layer 30 provides a flat upper surface. Thethird insulating layer 30 includes an organic material and/or aninorganic material. The third insulating layer 30 covers inputelectrodes and output electrodes.

FIG. 6C shows the sixth transistor T6 having substantially the samestructure as the second transistor T2. However, the structure of thesixth transistor T6 may be changed. The sixth transistor T6 includes aninput electrode DE6 connected to the output electrode SE2 of the secondtransistor T2 on the second insulating layer 20.

The organic light emitting diode OLED and a pixel definition layer PDLare located on the third insulating layer 30. An anode AE is located onthe third insulating layer 30. The anode AE is connected to a sixthoutput electrode SE6 of the sixth transistor T6 through a seventhcontact hole CH7 defined through the third insulating layer 30. Thepixel definition layer PDL is provided with an opening OP definedtherethrough. At least a portion of the anode AE is exposed through theopening OP of the pixel definition layer PDL.

The pixel PX is located in a pixel area of the organic light emittingdisplay panel DP when viewed in a plan view. The pixel area includes alight emitting area PXA and a non-light emitting area NPXA next to thelight emitting area PXA. The non-light emitting area NPXA is located tosurround the light emitting area PXA. In the present embodiment, thelight emitting area PXA is defined to correspond to the anode AE, butshould not be limited thereto or thereby. The light emitting area PXAmay be defined as an area in which a light is generated. The lightemitting area PXA may be defined to correspond to a portion of the anodeAE exposed through the opening OP.

A hole control layer HCL is commonly located in the light emitting areaPXA and the non-light emitting area NPXA. Although not shown in figures,a common layer like the hole control layer HCL may be commonly formed inthe plural pixels PX.

An organic light emitting layer EML is located on the hole control layerHCL. The organic light emitting layer EML is located only in an areacorresponding to the opening OP. That is, the organic light emittinglayer EML may be patterned into plural parts, and the parts may berespectively located in the pixels PX.

An electron control layer ECL is located on the organic light emittinglayer EML. A cathode CE is located on the electron control layer ECL.The cathode CE is commonly located in the pixels PX.

The thin film encapsulation layer TFE is located on the cathode CE. Thethin film encapsulation layer TFE is commonly located in the pixels PX.The thin film encapsulation layer TFE includes at least one inorganiclayer and at least one organic layer. The thin film encapsulation layerTFE may include a plurality of inorganic layers and a plurality oforganic layers alternately stacked with the inorganic layers.

In the present embodiment, the patterned organic light emitting layerEML is shown as a representative example, but the organic light emittinglayer EML may be commonly located in the pixels PX. In this case, theorganic light emitting layer EML may generate a white light. Inaddition, the organic light emitting layer EML may have a multi-layerstructure.

In the present embodiment, the thin film encapsulation layer TFEdirectly covers the cathode CE. In the present embodiment, a cappinglayer may further cover the cathode CE, and the thin film encapsulationlayer TFE may directly cover the capping layer.

FIGS. 7A to 7C are cross-sectional views showing thin film encapsulationlayers included in a display device according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure. Hereinafter, the thin film encapsulation layer willbe described in detail with reference to FIGS. 7A to 7C.

Referring to FIG. 7A, a thin film encapsulation layer TFE1 includes ninorganic thin layers IOL1 to IOLn, and a first inorganic thin layerIOL1 among the n inorganic thin layers IOL1 to IOLn is located on thecathode CE (refer to FIG. 6C). In addition, the first inorganic thinlayer IOL1 may located to directly contact the cathode CE (refer to FIG.6C). The first inorganic thin layer IOL1 may be referred to as a “lowerinorganic thin layer,” and the inorganic thin layers except for thefirst inorganic thin layer IOL1 among the n inorganic thin layers IOL1to IOLn may be referred to as “upper inorganic thin layers.”

The thin film encapsulation layer TFE1 includes n−1 organic thin layersOL1 to OLn−1, and the n−1 organic thin layers OL1 to OLn−1 arealternately arranged with the n inorganic thin layers IOL1 to IOLn. Then−1 organic thin layers OL1 to OLn−1 may have a thickness that isgreater than that of the n inorganic thin layers IOL1 to IOLn.

Each of the n inorganic thin layers IOL1 to IOLn may have a single-layerstructure containing one type of material, or may have a multi-layerstructure containing plural different types of material. Each of the n−1organic thin layers OL1 to OLn−1 may be formed by depositing organicmonomers. Each of the n−1 organic thin layers OL1 to OLn−1 may be formedby using an inkjet printing method or by coating a compositioncontaining an acryl-based monomer. In the present embodiment, the thinfilm encapsulation layer TFE1 may further include an n-th organic thinlayer.

Referring to FIGS. 7B and 7C, the inorganic thin layers included in eachof the thin film encapsulation layers TFE2 and TFE3 may include the sameinorganic material, or may include different inorganic materials fromeach other, and may have the same thickness or different thicknesses.The organic thin layers included in each of the thin film encapsulationlayers TFE2 and TFE3 may include the same organic material, or mayinclude different organic materials from each other, and may have thesame thickness or different thicknesses.

As shown in FIG. 7B, the thin film encapsulation layer TFE2 includes thefirst inorganic thin layer IOL1, the first organic thin layer OL1, thesecond inorganic thin layer IOL2, the second organic thin layer OL2, andthe third inorganic thin layer IOL3, which are sequentially stacked.

The first inorganic thin layer IOL1 may have a two-layer structure. Afirst sub-layer S1 and a second sub-layer S2 of the first inorganic thinlayer IOL1 may have different inorganic materials.

As shown in FIG. 7C, the thin film encapsulation layer TFE3 includes afirst inorganic thin layer IOL10, a first organic thin layer OL1, and asecond inorganic thin layer IOL20, which are sequentially stacked. Thefirst inorganic thin layer IOL10 may have a two-layer structure. A firstsub-layer S10 and a second sub-layer S20 included in the first inorganicthin layer IOL10 may have different inorganic materials. The secondinorganic thin layer IOL20 may have a two-layer structure. The secondinorganic thin layer IOL20 may include a first sub-layer S100 and asecond sub-layer S200, which are deposited in different environments.The first sub-layer S100 may be deposited at lower power, and the secondsub-layer S200 may be deposited at high power. The first and secondsub-layers S100 and S200 may include the same inorganic material.

FIG. 8A is a cross-sectional view showing a touch sensing unit includedin a display device according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure. FIGS. 8B to 8E are plan views showing a touch sensing unitincluded in a display device according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

Referring to FIG. 8A, the touch sensing unit TS includes a firstconductive pattern TS-CP1, a first insulating layer TS-IL1 (hereinafter,referred to as a “first touch insulating layer”), a second conductivepattern TS-CP2, and a second insulating layer TS-IL2 (hereinafter,referred to as a “second touch insulating layer”). The first conductivepattern TS-CP1 is directly located on the thin film encapsulation layerTFE, but it should not be limited thereto or thereby. That is, anotherinorganic layer (e.g., a buffer layer) may be further located betweenthe first conductive pattern TS-CP1 and the thin film encapsulationlayer TFE.

If suitable, the second touch insulating layer TS-IL2 may be omitted. Aportion of the second conductive pattern TS-CP2 crosses the firstconductive pattern TS-CP1. The portion of the second conductive patternTS-CP2 is insulated from the first conductive pattern TS-CP1 whilecrossing the first conductive pattern TS-CP1, and the first touchinsulating layer TS-IL1 is located between the first and secondconductive patterns TS-CP1 and TS-CP2.

Each of the first conductive pattern TS-CP1 and the second conductivepattern TS-CP2 has a single-layer structure or a multi-layer structureof plural layers stacked in the third direction DR3.

Each of the first touch insulating layer TS-IL1 and the second touchinsulating layer TS-IL2 includes an inorganic material or an organicmaterial. The inorganic material includes at least one of aluminumoxide, titanium oxide, silicon oxide, silicon nitride, siliconoxynitride, zirconium oxide, and hafnium oxide. The organic materialincludes at least one of an acryl-based resin, a methacryl-based resin,polyisoprene-based resin, a vinyl-based resin, an epoxy-based resin, aurethane-based resin, a cellulose-based resin, a siloxane-based resin, apolyimide-based resin, a polyamide-based resin, and a perylene-basedresin.

The first touch insulating layer TS-IL1 should not be limited to aspecific shape if the first touch insulating layer TS-IL1 insulates thefirst conductive pattern TS-CP1 and the second conductive patternTS-CP2. The first touch insulating layer TS-IL1 entirely covers the thinfilm encapsulation layer TFE or includes a plurality of insulatingpatterns. The insulating patterns are overlapped with first connectionparts BR1 and second connection parts BR2 described later.

In the present embodiment, the two-layer type touch sensing unit hasbeen described, but the touch sensing unit should not be limited to thetwo-layer type. A single-layer type touch sensing unit includes aconductive layer and an insulating layer covering the conductive layer.The conductive layer includes touch sensors and touch signal linesconnected to the touch sensors. The single-layer type touch sensing unitobtains coordinate information using a self-capacitance method.

Referring to FIG. 8B, the touch sensing unit TS includes first touchelectrodes TE1 and second touch electrodes TE2. The first touchelectrodes TE1 include the first connection parts BR1, first touchsensor parts SP1 connected by the first connection parts BR1, and firsttouch signal lines SL1 connected to the first touch sensor parts SP1.The second touch electrodes TE2 include the second connection parts BR2,second touch sensor parts SP2 connected by the second connection partsBR2, and second touch signal lines SL2 connected to the second touchsensor parts SP2. In addition, connection electrodes TSD may be locatedbetween the first touch electrodes TE1 and the first touch signal linesSL1, and between the second touch electrodes TE2 and the second touchsignal lines SL2 connected to the second touch electrodes TE2. Theconnection electrodes TSD are connected to ends of the first and secondtouch electrodes TE1 and TE2 to transmit signals. According to anotherembodiment, the connection electrodes TSD may be omitted.

The first touch sensor parts SP1 are arranged in the first directionDR1, and the second touch sensor parts SP2 are arranged in the seconddirection DR2. The first touch sensor parts SP1 are spaced apart fromthe second touch sensor parts SP2.

The first touch electrodes TE1 extend in the first direction DR1 and arespaced apart from each other in the second direction DR2. The secondtouch electrodes TE2 extend in the second direction DR2 and are spacedapart from each other in the first direction DR1.

Each of the first connection parts BR1 connects two adjacent first touchsensor parts SP1 among the first touch sensor parts SP1. Each of thesecond connection parts BR2 connects two adjacent second touch sensorparts SP2 among the second touch sensor parts SP2. In FIG. 8B, portionsof the first and second connection parts BR1 and BR2 are represented bya bold dot to help description.

The touch sensing unit TS may further include touch pad parts TS-PD.Each of the first and second touch signal lines SL1 and SL2 may beconnected to a corresponding touch pad part of the touch pad partsTS-PD.

The first touch sensor parts SP1 are capacitively coupled to the secondtouch sensor parts SP2. When the touch sensing signals are applied tothe first touch sensor parts SP1, capacitors are formed between thefirst touch sensor parts SP1 and the second touch sensor parts SP2.

Hereinafter, the touch sensing unit TS will be described in more detailwith reference to FIGS. 8C to 8E.

Referring to FIG. 8C, the first conductive patterns TS-CP1 may includethe second connection parts BR2. The second connection parts BR2 may bedirectly formed on the thin film encapsulation layer TFE by a patterningprocess. That is, the first conductive patterns TS-CP1 may be directlylocated on the thin film encapsulation layer TFE of the organic lightemitting display panel DP.

The first touch insulating layer TS-IL1 is located on the firstconductive patterns TS-CP1. The first touch insulating layer TS-IL1 isdirectly located on the thin film encapsulation layer TFE of the organiclight emitting display panel DP and covers the second connection partsBR2. As shown in FIG. 8D, a plurality of contact holes CH is definedthrough the first touch insulating layer TS-IL1 to partially expose thesecond connection parts BR2. The contact holes CH are formed by aphotolithography process. The second connection parts BR2 of the firstconductive pattern TS-CP1 are electrically connected to the second touchsensor parts SP2 through the contact holes CH.

Referring to FIG. 8E, the second conductive patterns TS-CP2 are locatedon the first touch insulating layer TS-IL1. The second conductivepatterns TS-CP2 include the first connection parts BR1, the first touchsensor parts SP1 connected by the first connection parts BR1, and thesecond touch sensor parts SP2 spaced apart from the first touch sensorparts SP1. As described above, the second touch sensor parts SP2 areelectrically connected to the second connection parts BR2 of the firstconductive pattern TS-CP1 through contact holes CH defined through thefirst touch insulating layer TS-IL1.

FIG. 8F is a partially enlarged view showing an area A1 of FIG. 8B. FIG.9 is a partially enlarged view showing an area A2 of FIG. 8B.

Referring to FIGS. 8F and 9, each of the first touch sensor parts SP1and the second touch sensor parts SP2 may include a plurality of meshlines ML to define a plurality of mesh holes MH. Each mesh line ML has aline width of a few micrometers, for example. Each of the first touchsensor part SP1 and the second touch sensor parts SP2 may have a meshshape. Although not shown in detail, the first touch signal lines SL1and the second touch signal lines SL2 may have the mesh shape. Each ofthe first touch sensor parts SP1 and the second touch sensor parts SP2is overlapped with the non-light emitting area NPXA.

When viewed in a plan view, the mesh holes MH have different sizes fromeach other. The mesh holes MH may respectively correspond to the lightemitting areas PXA in a one-to-one correspondence, but they should notbe limited thereto or thereby. That is, one mesh hole may correspond totwo or more light emitting areas PXA, for example. The light emittingareas PXA may have different sizes from each other when viewed in a planview. Correspondingly, the mesh holes MH may have different sizes fromeach other when viewed in a plan view. For instance, the light emittingareas PXA may include a red light emitting area, a green light emittingarea, and a blue light emitting area, and the light emitting areas PXAmay have different sizes determined depending on their colors. However,the light emitting areas PXA may have the same size as each other, andthe mesh holes MH may have the same size as each other.

Referring to FIG. 9, the first connection parts BR1 may cross the secondconnection parts BR2. The first connection parts BR1 and the secondconnection parts BR2 are insulated from each other by the first touchinsulating layer TS-IL1 located between the first and second connectionparts BR1 and BR2 while crossing each other. In FIG. 9, the firstconnection parts BR1 and the second connection parts BR2 are representedby bold lining to aid in description, but they should not be limitedthereto or thereby. For instance, the first connection parts BR1 may notcross the second connection parts BR2, and this structure will bedescribed in detail later.

As shown in FIG. 9, each of the first connection parts BR1 and thesecond connection parts BR2 may have the mesh shape. However, the secondconnection parts BR2 may not have the mesh shape in other embodiments.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are cross-sectional views taken along the line I-I′ ofFIG. 9.

Referring to FIGS. 10A and 10B, the first conductive pattern TS-CP1 hasa thickness D1 that is smaller than a thickness D2 of the secondconductive pattern TS-CP2. The first conductive pattern TS-CP1 shown inFIGS. 10A and 10B corresponds to the second connection part BR2. Thethickness D1 of the first conductive pattern TS-CP1 may be smaller thana thickness D3 of the first touch insulating layer TS-IL1.

In the present description, the term “thickness” denotes an averagevalue of the thickness, or general thickness, in a correspondingcomponent.

As described above, the first conductive pattern TS-CP1 and the firsttouch insulating layer TS-IL1 may be directly located on the thin filmencapsulation layer TFE of the organic light emitting display panel DP.The first touch insulating layer TS-IL1 has a structure in which a stepdifference exists. In detail, the first touch insulating layer TS-IL1 islocated on the first conductive pattern TS-CP1 and includes a first partIL-SUB1 spaced apart from the thin film encapsulation layer TFE, asecond part IL-SUB2 making contact with the thin film encapsulationlayer TFE, and a third part IL-SUB3 connecting the first part IL-SUB1and the second part IL-SUB2. The first part IL-SUB1, the second partIL-SUB2, and the third part IL-SUB3 are integrally connected to eachother.

The third part IL-SUB3 may have a rectangular shape when viewed in across section, but the shape of the third part IL-SUB3 should not belimited to the rectangular shape. That is, the third part IL-SUB3 mayhave a polygonal shape including an inclined surface when viewed in across section.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a touch sensing unit includedin a conventional display device 1000. In detail, the conventionaldisplay device 1000 shown in FIG. 11 includes a display panel 100 and atouch sensing unit 200 located on the display panel 100.

The touch sensing unit 200 of the conventional display device 1000includes a first conductive pattern 210, an insulating layer 220covering the first conductive pattern 210, and a second conductivepattern 230 located on the insulating layer 220, and a thickness K1 ofthe first conductive pattern 210 is substantially equal to or slightlydifferent from a thickness K2 of the second conductive pattern 230. Inmore detail, the thickness K1 of the first conductive pattern 210, athickness K3 of the insulating layer 220, and the thickness K2 of thesecond conductive pattern 230 are substantially equal to each other orslightly different from each other. A step difference occurs in theinsulating layer 220 due to the first conductive pattern 210 covered bythe insulating layer 220, and a crack occurs at an area in which thestep difference exists, as shown in the area B of FIG. 11. Due to thecrack occurring in the insulating layer 220, the first conductivepattern 210 is electrically connected to a portion of the secondconductive pattern 230 crossing the first conductive pattern 210, and asa result, a short (e.g., electrical short) defect of the touch sensingunit 200 is generated.

According to the display device DD of the present disclosure, thethickness D1 of the first conductive pattern TS-CP1 is smaller than thatof the conventional first conductive pattern 210, and thus the stepdifference occurring in the first touch insulating layer TS-IL1 becomessmall, thereby minimizing the occurrence of the crack in the insulatinglayer. To effectively achieve the effect, the thickness D1 of the firstconductive pattern TS-CP1 may be suitably less than the thickness D3 ofthe first touch insulating layer TS-IL1. The thickness D3 of the firsttouch insulating layer TS-IL1 and the thickness D2 of the secondconductive pattern TS-CP2 are substantially equal to each other, or areslightly different from each other. That is, only the thickness D1 ofthe first conductive pattern TS-CP1 among the first conductive patternTS-CP1, the first touch insulating layer TS-IL1, and the secondconductive pattern TS-CP2 is set to be relatively thin in the displaydevice DD according to the present embodiment, and thus the first touchinsulating layer TS-IL1 may be prevented from being cracked, or thecrack of the first touch insulating layer TS-IL1 may be reduced orminimized.

For instance, the thickness D1 of the first conductive pattern TS-CP1 isequal to or greater than about 1800 angstroms, and equal to or less thanabout 2100 angstroms, and the thickness D2 of the second conductivepattern TS-CP2 is equal to or greater than about 2700 angstroms andequal to or less than about 3500 angstroms. As an example, the thicknessD1 of the first conductive pattern TS-CP1 may be about 1950 angstroms,and the thickness D2 of the second conductive pattern TS-CP2 may beabout 3100 angstroms, but they should not be limited thereto or thereby.

In the present embodiment, the thickness D3 of the first touchinsulating layer TS-IL1 is equal to or greater than about 2700angstroms, and equal to or less than about 3500 angstroms. As anexample, the thickness D3 of the first touch insulating layer TS-IL1 maybe about 3100 angstroms, but it should not be limited thereto orthereby.

FIGS. 12A to 12D are plan views showing a touch sensing unit included ina display device according to other embodiments of the presentdisclosure. FIGS. 13A to 13C are partially enlarged views showing anarea A3 of FIG. 12A. In detail, FIG. 13A shows second connection partsBR2 included in a first conductive pattern TS-CP1 in the area A3 of FIG.12A, FIG. 13B shows a second conductive pattern TS-CP2 in the area A3,and FIG. 13C shows a stack structure of the first conductive patternTS-CP1 and the second conductive pattern TS-CP2.

As described above, the first connection parts BR1 might not cross thesecond connection parts BR2. Referring to FIGS. 12A to 12D, the secondconnection parts BR2 do not cross the first connection parts BR1, andthe second connection parts BR2 cross the first touch sensor parts SP1and the second touch sensor parts SP2. Referring to FIGS. 13A to 13C,the first touch sensor parts SP1 include the mesh lines ML defining themesh holes MH as described above, and each of the second connectionparts BR2 crosses a portion of the mesh lines ML of the first touchsensor parts SP1. The second touch sensor parts SP2 include the meshlines ML defining the mesh holes MH as described above, and each of thesecond connection parts BR2 crosses a portion of the mesh lines ML ofthe second touch sensor parts SP2. In this case, the second connectionparts BR2 may not have the mesh shape.

The descriptions with reference to FIGS. 8B to 8E may be applied to thetouch sensing unit shown in FIGS. 12A to 12D except for the descriptionsof the second connection parts BR2, and thus repeated detaileddescriptions of the touch sensing unit with reference to FIGS. 12A to12D will be omitted except for the second connection parts BR2.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II′ of FIG.13C. The descriptions with reference to FIGS. 10A and 10B may be appliedto the touch sensing unit shown in FIG. 14, except that differencefeatures between the structure in which the second conductive patternTS-CP2 shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B corresponds to the first connectionparts BR1 among components of the second conductive pattern TS-CP2 andthe structure in which the second conductive pattern TS-CP2 shown inFIG. 14 corresponds to the first touch sensor parts SP1 among componentsof the second conductive pattern TS-CP2, and thus repeated detaileddescriptions of the touch sensing unit with reference to FIG. 14 will beomitted, although different features will be described.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view showing a portion of a touch sensingunit included in a display device according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

The first conductive pattern TS-CP1 may have a single-layer structure ora multi-layer structure. As shown in FIG. 15, the first conductivepattern TS-CP1 may have a triple-layer structure. The first conductivepattern TS-CP1 may include a first conductive layer CD1, a secondconductive layer CD2, and a third conductive layer CD3. The firstconductive layer CD1 is located on the thin film encapsulation layer TFEof the display panel DP, the second conductive layer CD2 is located onthe first conductive layer CD1, and the third conductive layer CD3 islocated on the second conductive layer CD2. In this case, an entirethickness D1 of the first conductive pattern TS-CP1 corresponds to a sumof a thickness G1 of the first conductive layer CD1, a thickness G2 ofthe second conductive layer CD2, and a thickness G3 of the thirdconductive layer CD3.

The second conductive layer CD2 has an electrical resistivity smallerthan that of each of the first conductive layer CD1 and the thirdconductive layer CD3. That is, the second conductive layer CD2 has asuperior electrical conductivity when compared to that of each of thefirst conductive layer CD1 and the third conductive layer CD3. Each ofthe first, second, and third conductive layers CD1, CD2, and CD3 mayinclude typical materials as long as the first, second, and thirdconductive layers CD1, CD2, and CD3 satisfy the above-mentionedrelation. For instance, each of the first, second, and third conductivelayers CD1, CD2, and CD3 may include silver, copper, aluminum, titanium,molybdenum, or an alloy thereof. As another example, each of the firstand third conductive layers CD1 and CD3 may include titanium (Ti), andthe second conductive layer CD2 may include aluminum (Al).

The thickness G2 of the second conductive layer CD2 may be greater thanthe thickness G1 of the first conductive layer CD1 and the thickness G3of the third conductive layer CD3. The thickness G2 of the secondconductive layer CD2 may be, for example, six times greater than thethickness G1 of the first conductive layer CD1. The thickness G2 of thesecond conductive layer CD2 may be, for example, four times greater thanthe thickness G3 of the third conductive layer CD3.

The thickness G3 of the third conductive layer CD3 may be greater thanthe thickness G1 of the first conductive layer CD1. The thickness G3 ofthe third conductive layer CD3 may be, for example, one and half timesgreater than the thickness G1 of the first conductive layer CD1. Inother embodiments, the thickness G3 of the third conductive layer CD3may be, for example, one and half times to three times greater than thethickness G1 of the first conductive layer CD1.

The second conductive layer CD2 is an essential component for the firstconductive pattern CP1 to serve as a conductive pattern, and the firstand third conductive layers CD1 and CD3 serve as a protective layerprotecting the second conductive layer CD2 to obtain a processstability. In detail, the first conductive layer CD1 protects the secondconductive layer CD2 from defects occurring under the touch sensing unitTS, and the third conductive layer CD3 prevents the second conductivelayer CD2 from being damaged during an etching process.

As described above, because the first conductive layer CD1 and the thirdconductive layer CD3 have different purposes, the first conductive layerCD1 and the third conductive layer CD3 may suitably have differentthicknesses. That is, because the third conductive layer CD3 maysuitably have a predetermined thickness or more such that the secondconductive layer CD2 is protected in the etching process, only thethickness G1 of the first conductive layer CD1 is controlled to besmall, and thus the entire thickness D1 of the first conductive patternCP1 may be smaller than the entire thickness D2 of the second conductivepattern CP2. However, the thickness G1 of the first conductive layer CD1may still suitably have a predetermined thickness or more and, forexample, the thickness G1 of the first conductive layer CD1 may be about50 angstroms or more. In a case than the thickness G1 of the firstconductive layer CD1 is less than about 50 angstroms, the firstconductive layer CD1 might not serve as the protective layer protectingthe second conductive layer CD2.

For instance, the thickness G1 of the first conductive layer CD1 is in arange from about 50 angstroms to about 200 angstroms, the thickness G2of the second conductive layer CD2 is in a range from about 1000angstroms to about 1800 angstroms, and the thickness G3 of the thirdconductive layer CD3 is in a range from about 250 angstroms to about 350angstroms. In detail, the thickness G1 of the first conductive layer CD1may be about 150 angstroms, the thickness G2 of the second conductivelayer CD2 may be about 1500 angstroms, and the thickness G3 of the thirdconductive layer CD3 may be about 300 angstroms. However, thethicknesses G1, G2, and G3 of the first, second, and third conductivelayers CD1, CD2, and CD3 should not be limited thereto or thereby.

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing a touch sensing unit includedin a display device according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

Referring to FIG. 16, the second conductive pattern TS-CP2 may have amulti-layer structure as similar to the first conductive pattern TS-CP1,but it should not be limited thereto or thereby. The second conductivepattern TS-CP2 may have a single-layer structure if the secondconductive pattern TS-CP2 is thicker than the first conductive patternTS-CP1.

The second conductive pattern TS-CP2 may have a triple-layer structure.The second conductive pattern TS-CP2 may include a fourth conductivelayer CD4, a fifth conductive layer CD5, and a sixth conductive layerCD6. The fourth conductive layer CD4 is located on the first touchinsulating layer TS-IL1, the fifth conductive layer CD5 is located onthe fourth conductive layer CD4, and the sixth conductive layer CD6 islocated on the fifth conductive layer CD5. In this case, the entirethickness D2 of the second conductive pattern TS-CP2 corresponds to asum of a thickness G4 of the fourth conductive layer CD4, a thickness G5of the fifth conductive layer CD5, and a thickness G6 of the sixthconductive layer CD6.

The fifth conductive layer CD5 has an electrical resistivity smallerthan that of each of the fourth conductive layer CD4 and the sixthconductive layer CD6. That is, the fifth conductive layer CD5 has asuperior electrical conductivity when compared to that of each of thefourth conductive layer CD4 and the sixth conductive layer CD6. Each ofthe fourth, fifth, and sixth conductive layers CD4, CD5, and CD6 mayinclude typical materials as long as the fourth, fifth, and sixthconductive layers CD4, CD5, and CD6 satisfy the above-mentionedrelation. For instance, each of the fourth, fifth, and sixth conductivelayers CD4, CD5, and CD6 may include silver, copper, aluminum, titanium,molybdenum, or an alloy thereof. As another example, each of the fourthand sixth conductive layers CD4 and CD6 may include titanium (Ti), andthe fifth conductive layer CD5 may include aluminum (Al).

The thickness G5 of the fifth conductive layer CD5 may be greater thanthe thickness G4 of the fourth conductive layer CD4 and the thickness G6of the sixth conductive layer CD6. The thickness G5 of the fifthconductive layer CD5 may be, for example, four times greater than thethickness G4 of the fourth conductive layer CD4. The thickness G5 of thefifth conductive layer CD5 may be, for example, four times greater thanthe thickness G6 of the sixth conductive layer CD6.

The fifth conductive layer CD5 is an essential component for the secondconductive pattern TS-CP2 to serve as a conductive pattern, and thefourth and sixth conductive layers CD4 and CD6 serve as a protectivelayer protecting the fifth conductive layer CD5 to obtain a processstability. In detail, the fourth conductive layer CD4 protects the fifthconductive layer CD5 from defects occurring under the second conductivepattern CP2, and the sixth conductive layer CD6 prevents the fifthconductive layer CD5 from being damaged during an etching process.

The thickness G2 of the second conductive layer CD2 may be smaller thanthe thickness G5 of the fifth conductive layer CD5. That is, the entirethickness of the first conductive pattern TS-CP1 may become smaller thanthe second conductive pattern TS-CP2 by allowing the thickness G2 of thesecond conductive layer CD2 to be smaller than the thickness G5 of thefifth conductive layer CD5.

The thickness G1 of the first conductive layer CD1 may be smaller thanthe thickness G4 of the fourth conductive layer CD4. That is, the entirethickness of the first conductive pattern TS-CP1 may become smaller thanthe second conductive pattern TS-CP2 by allowing the thickness G1 of thefirst conductive layer CD1 to be smaller than the thickness G4 of thefourth conductive layer CD4 that is a lower protective layer of thesecond conductive pattern TS-CP2.

For instance, the thickness G4 of the fourth conductive layer CD4 is ina range from about 250 angstroms to about 350 angstroms, the thicknessG5 of the fifth conductive layer CD5 is in a range from about 2200angstroms to about 2800 angstroms, and the thickness G6 of the sixthconductive layer CD6 is in a range from about 250 angstroms to about 350angstroms. In detail, the thickness G4 of the fourth conductive layerCD4 may be about 300 angstroms, the thickness G5 of the fifth conductivelayer CD5 may be about 2500 angstroms, and the thickness G6 of the sixthconductive layer CD6 may be about 300 angstroms. However, thethicknesses G4, G5, and G6 of the fourth, fifth, and sixth conductivelayers CD4, CD5, and CD6 should not be limited thereto or thereby.

The display device DD according to the embodiments of the presentdisclosure may reduce the occurrence of the crack in the insulatinglayer, e.g., the first touch insulating layer TS-IL1, included in thetouch sensing unit TS. Consequently, the display device DD according tothe embodiments of the present disclosure may reduce an electrical shortdefect of the touch sensing unit TS.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described,it is understood that the present invention should not be limited tothese embodiments, but various changes and modifications can be made byone ordinary skilled in the art within the spirit and scope of thepresent invention as defined by the claims and their functionalequivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A display device comprising: an organic lightemitting device layer; a thin film encapsulation layer on the organiclight emitting device layer; a buffer layer directly on the thin filmencapsulation layer; and a touch sensing unit directly on the bufferlayer, the touch sensing unit comprising: a first conductive pattern onthe buffer layer; an insulating layer covering the first conductivepattern; and a second conductive pattern on the insulating layer, thesecond conductive pattern partially crossing the first conductivepattern, and having a thickness that is greater than a thickness of thefirst conductive pattern.
 2. The display apparatus of claim 1, whereinthe first conductive pattern is directly on the buffer layer.
 3. Thedisplay apparatus of claim 1, wherein the buffer layer comprises atleast one of a silicon nitride, a silicon-oxy-nitride, and a siliconoxide.
 4. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the thin filmencapsulation layer comprises: a first inorganic layer; an organic layeron the first inorganic layer; and a second inorganic layer on theorganic layer.
 5. The display apparatus of claim 4, wherein the bufferlayer is directly on the second inorganic layer.
 6. The displayapparatus of claim 1, wherein the first conductive pattern comprises: afirst conductive layer on the buffer layer; a second conductive layer onthe first conductive layer; and a third conductive layer on the secondconductive layer, and wherein the second conductive pattern comprises: afourth conductive layer on the insulating layer; a fifth conductivelayer on the fourth conductive layer; and a sixth conductive layer onthe fifth conductive layer.
 7. The display apparatus of claim 6, whereineach of the second conductive layer and the fifth conductive layercomprises aluminum (Al), and wherein each of the first conductive layer,the third conductive layer, the fourth conductive layer and the sixthconductive layer comprises titanium (Ti).
 8. The display apparatus ofclaim 6, wherein a thickness of the second conductive layer is greaterthan each of a thickness of the first conductive layer and a thicknessof the third conductive layer.
 9. The display apparatus of claim 6,wherein a thickness of the fifth conductive layer is greater than eachof a thickness of the fifth conductive layer and a thickness of thesixth conductive layer.
 10. The display apparatus of claim 6, wherein athickness of the second conductive layer is less than a thickness of thefifth conductive layer.
 11. The display apparatus of claim 6, wherein athickness difference between the second conductive layer and the firstconductive layer is greater than a thickness difference between thethird conductive layer and the first conductive layer.
 12. The displayapparatus of claim 6, wherein a thickness difference between the fifthconductive layer and the fourth conductive layer is greater than athickness difference between the sixth conductive layer and the fourthconductive layer.
 13. The display apparatus of claim 6, wherein athickness difference between the fifth conductive layer and the fourthconductive layer is greater than a thickness difference between thesecond conductive layer and the first conductive layer.
 14. The displayapparatus of claim 1, wherein the second conductive pattern comprises:first touch sensor parts; second touch sensor parts spaced from thefirst touch sensor parts; and first connection parts connectingrespective ones of the first touch sensor parts, wherein the firstconductive pattern comprises electrically conductive second connectionparts connecting respective ones of the second touch sensor parts. 15.The display apparatus of claim 14, wherein the second connection partsare directly on the buffer layer.
 16. The display apparatus of claim 1,wherein a thickness of the insulating layer is less than a thickness ofthe second conductive pattern.